Creative Block and Playing

I haven't posted new artwork on my blog going on two months. I was in a creative slump. It has happened before and I'm sure it will happen again. I realize that stressing about it doesn't help. I decided to share because reading about other artists’ struggle with creative block has helped me. Maybe I can help someone going through it.

To try to kick start my creativity I looked at my list of fiber art projects to create and projects that were WIP. Nothing caught my interest. I looked on Facebook and Instagram to see what other artists are creating. Read about other artists working through their creative block, which was helpful. I tried to stay clear of Pinterest because it seems to be a black hole for me that I can spend hours perusing.  

Then I realized that I was over thinking it. I remembered what gave me joy as a child. It was sitting in my bedroom drawing and painting...for hours. Not for a deadline. Not for a specific project. Just for fun. To play. To explore. No judgment. No rules. No expensive materials. I realize that creating in a repurposed magazine gives me a chance to play and explore without the guilt of using up "good" paper and materials. Each design doesn't have to be perfect because that's not the point. To reiterate that point, I'm showing my sketchbook journal pages in the beginning stages. Works in progress. Imperfections. Not social media perfect. I'm working on multiple pages at once. I'm jotting down ideas that I will build upon in no specific order or time frame. My hope is that by freeing myself by playing, it will recharge my art brain. Pushing my art. Adding layers to my art. Adding dimension to my art. I will post updates to my art journal as the designs progress.

Here is the cover of the 10" x 12" repurposed magazine. I decided to keep it simple by painting black onto of a layer of gesso.

The first two pages started with the Warhol's Elvis art clipping from a magazine. This design is slowly developing.

The next pages started with the yellow-orange motifs. I wanted to remember it for a possible stamp or screen print. 

Continuing on with the next two pages. This design started with the mauve-y color paper from a fashion layout in a magazine. I wanted it to be messy. Not my normal style. My instinct is to stop at this point but I'm going to push myself to add more layers and possibly more colors.

I have to admit these next pages were created because I was pushing myself to leave some marks. Any marks. "Just put something on the page, Bloom!" I started by painting black over the whole ground. Once it dried, I took an old credit card and scrapped white paint randomly. I liked the technique and didn't want to cover too much of it up. I'm not sure about the design that's developing on top.

These next pages are falling back into colors that are in my comfort zone but the messiness of the overall design is not. Similarly to the design with the mauve-y color, I would normally stop at this point but I'm pushing myself to add more layers, marks and colors.

Like the design above, the colors in this design are in my comfort zone. More pushing myself to add layers, marks and colors.

Do you get in a creative slump? How do you get yourself out of it?

Thanks for stopping by!